2016 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport: owner complaints and recalls
Analysis of 64 owner complaints filed with NHTSA and 1 recall campaigns. Updated 2026-07-25.
64
Complaints
1
Recalls
3
Crash reports
9
Fire reports
2
Injuries
128.1
Severity index
Severity index 128.1 - High. This weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints; see methodology.
Among the 140 2016 vehicles we track with at least 40 complaints on file, the 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport ranks 15 of 140 by severity, where 1 is the worst. Its severity is higher than 89% of its model-year peers. See the full 2016 ranking.
What actually fails
| Component | Complaints | Share of complaints citing it |
|---|---|---|
| ENGINE | 41 | 64.1% |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 13 | 20.3% |
| SERVICE BRAKES | 6 | 9.4% |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 5 | 7.8% |
| POWER TRAIN | 3 | 4.7% |
| FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 3 | 4.7% |
| AIR BAGS | 3 | 4.7% |
| HYDRAULIC | 3 | 4.7% |
The single most-reported system is ENGINE, cited in 41 of 64 complaints (64.1%). One complaint can name several systems, so these shares overlap and do not total 100%.
Complaints filed per year
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2017 | 2 |
| 2018 | 3 |
| 2019 | 5 |
| 2020 | 1 |
| 2021 | 2 |
| 2022 | 3 |
| 2023 | 6 |
| 2024 | 4 |
| 2025 | 24 |
| 2026 (year to date) | 14 |
Complaint volume is rising - the last three years carry 5.7x the filings of the three before them, which usually signals a wear-related defect surfacing with age.
Recall campaigns
| Campaign | Reported | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17V358000 | 05/06/2017 | LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:HOOD:LATCH | Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2013-2017 Santa Fe and Santa Fe Sport vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the secondary hood latch actuating cable may corrode and bind, causing the secondary hood latch to remain in the unlatched position when the hood is clo |
Source. US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration public complaint and recall APIs (api.nhtsa.gov), retrieved 2026-07-25. Complaints are unverified consumer reports; volume is influenced by how many units were sold and how long the vehicle has been on the road. Not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer.